I have a confession: I have yet to start listening to the legendary metal band Slipknot. Do not know any of their songs, do not know what they are famous for. When The Chapeltown Rag and The Dying Song (Time To Sing) came out, I did a listen just to see if I could get into it while it's new and fresh, and neither of those songs did it for me at the time. When Yen came along, that's when I finally liked a song enough to replay it until I loved it. But even till now, I have left the rest of their discography untouched, and I hope to get to it at some point but I will see how I feel about their upcoming album. I do have a slight aversion to older metal, especially classic metal, as much as I want to appreciate it.
Yen feels surprisingly modern, I don't know if my expectations of the band were justified but this definitely subverted it. This vampire-esque metal ballad is spooky and dark, like a cinematic horror soundtrack, yet there are tinges of romantic flavours in sadistic tones, most prominently in the lyrics. Compared to what I vaguely remember of the previous two singles, this is significantly softer and less angry, leaning more towards a heartfelt and powerful sound.
The clean vocals in the verses are astoundingly haunting. The lyrics feel obsessive, the delivery feels love-drunk, and the vocal tone is exquisite, like fine wine. For a metal vocalist, it sure is rare to find one that can also excel in clean vocals, especially this kind of lower range singing typically found in musicals and such. The slow-paced instrumentals help to develop a richer soundscape that really accentuates the atmosphere and vibe of the verses.
I love that there's a subtle but powerful grit in his vocals going into the chorus, it really matches up with the increase in energy from the instrumentals going into the chorus. It also sells the idea of an obsessed lover, and is the exact vocal timbre to match the sentiment of the lyrics in that exact moment. It feels more metal, yet still very ballad-esque, which seems like a very hard balance to get.
The bridge makes a lot of sense storywise, as a climax point of the lover's obsession, but it does strike me as slightly off songwise. Not that it doesn't fit, but it feels a bit out of character. Regardless, it doesn't take much away from the song, and I don't mind it at all when listening to the song. The final chorus does a decent job at wrapping up the song, with slight changes to the structure and an added pre-chorus, but otherwise is nothing much too special.
It sure is a fun song to listen to. I'm going off of an assumption that this is not their usual offerings, and I don't think I'll be wrong about it, but I always love modern metal bands trying out softer sounds and ballads. It's nice to see bands mix up their palettes and records having a more diverse soundscape, and we really get to see bands' musicianship shine when they are out of their comfort zone. Yen is a fun listen, but I'll have to keep in mind not to make this my initial impression of the band, as it is nowhere near their signature sound. That aside, I love this song for what it is.
Rating: 4/5